


Ursa Major, Ursa Minor (Part Two)

by skymageariel



Series: 31 days of The Dragon Prince [15]
Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, Angst and Fluff, Autumn, F/M, Filler, Fluff, Gen, M/M, Modern AU, fall - Freeform, school au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-16
Updated: 2020-10-16
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:35:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27045112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skymageariel/pseuds/skymageariel
Summary: The mistakes she’s made start to catch up to her
Relationships: Rayllum (The Dragon Prince)
Series: 31 days of The Dragon Prince [15]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1946767
Comments: 5
Kudos: 43





	Ursa Major, Ursa Minor (Part Two)

On the bright side, Rayla had never seen stars like this. There was no artificial light for miles, it seemed. The stars glittered and twinkled against the sky, lighting it up with constellations Rayla couldn’t begin to recognize. She was cold, shaking on the ground where she’d fallen. There was a chance she could guess where to go. There was a 50% chance that she could get home. 

But she’d waited too long, and moving anywhere was no longer a viable option. Not only was her foot numb and in pain, not only was walking on it nearly impossible, but Rayla was absolutely freezing. She couldn’t stop shaking, her limbs wouldn’t move, and she was convinced she wouldn’t be able to make words come out of her mouth if she tried. All she could see was the stars. 

The stars were beautiful, and the only comfort she had. 

When Rayla was younger, she, Runaan, and Ethari would go camping every summer. It was a tradition, finding a new campsite, venturing further and farther from home with each trip. And every night, on these trips, the three of them would find a field, lay on their backs, and look at the stars. Each night, Ethari would teach Rayla and Runaan a new constellation. From Taurus, Pegasus, to even spotting the singular points of light that came from the planets- Mars, Jupiter, Saturn- the stars were a family. 

But of all the constellations she learned, Rayla’s favorites never evaded her mind when she looked at the night sky. 

Ursa Major, and Ursa Minor. Ethari told her that Ursa Major was a bear. A mama bear, looking after her cub, Ursa Minor. Ethari would make up stories and adventures that the mama bear and the cub would get into. The bears were family, and they’d always be there for each other. Rayla smiled to herself, shivering as she remembered the stories. But that fleeting smile faded when the memories evaded her mind’s eye. The images of the bears in the sky as the three of them watched was beginning to fade. 

Opening her eyes, rolling onto her back like she did when she was camping, Rayla watched the sky, her eyes searched for the Big Dipper, for Ursa Major. 

Maybe it was because she was exhausted. Maybe she’d hit her head during her fall, impairing her vision. Or maybe it was just the wrong time of year for her to be in the sky. Ursa Major was nowhere to be found, but she didn’t stop looking until her eyes gave up. 

Of course she was terrified. She was alone, freezing in the woods, surrounded by sights she couldn’t recognize. The water in the river beside her seemed to be laughing at her.  _ You got lost!  _ it said,  _ You got lost in your own home!  _

_ I know _ , she told the river in her head.  _ I don’t know how to get home.  _ She closed her eyes, crickets echoing through her ears. Voices sounded in the distance. They sounded familiar, but her eyes wouldn’t open. Her lips wouldn’t move. She couldn’t call back. 

—

Harsh fluorescents pierced the back of her eyelids, bleeding red into her vision. Rayla blinked, eyes opening to the bright ceiling above her. There was a steady blip next to her, beeping in tandem with her heartbeat. Rayla sat up. She looked around the room, studying her surroundings as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. She was in a hospital bed. And she was warm. Looking down, Rayla instantly recognized the dark blue of the hoodie she’d stolen from Callum months ago, though one sleeve was rolled up past her elbow to make room for the IV sticking out of her forearm. Moving aside the sheets she was under, Rayla saw her foot wrapped in bandages. The throbbing from before had stopped, though it still stung like pinpricks. To her left, Callum was asleep, curled up in a chair against the wall and snoring softly. His boots were covered in mud, as if he’d spent a night in the woods. Rayla smiled. He was here with her.

The door swung open, a nurse coming in the room to check on her. 

“Oh, good, you’re awake,” she said. “Your family’s been worried. And this kid-“ she gestured to Callum- “He hasn’t left the room since you got here.” The nurse clipped a small clamp over her forefinger, but Rayla didn’t notice. She stared at the boy asleep in the chair.

“How long have I been here?” she asked, and the nurse made some notes on a clipboard.

p

“Two days or so,” the nurse replied. “I’m going to get your fathers- they’ll be happy to know you’re awake.” She left with a warm smile, leaving Rayla dumbfounded as she stared at Callum, sound asleep. Two days?

“Callum,” she whispered, hushed so no one but him could hear. “Callum, wake up.” His eyes fluttered open, squinting in the light. For a moment, confusion dotted his face, but when he looked over at Rayla, his eyes widened.

“You’re okay!” he said, voice hoarse as he got up and tackled her in a bear hug. “I was so worried,” he breathed, squeezing her tighter. “Never do that again.”

“I won’t,” Rayla laughed lightly, “I’m not going anywhere for awhile.” She wrapped her arms around him, holding him close. “I lost your textbook,” she confessed.

“I don’t care.” He didn’t let go, instead burying his nose in the crook of her neck. 

“And the vocab list is late.”

“So?” he breathed, voice cracking. “I’m just so, so glad you’re okay.” He pulled away, cupping her cheek in his hand. His eyes danced between hers, expression composed of pure relief. 

“I’m really sorry,” she muttered, holding his wrist. “I just-“

“I’m sorry, this was all my fault, I should have taken a break when you asked, I should have-“

“Hey, hey,” she chuckled, soft, “It’s okay. I’m the one who messed up-“

“I was so scared, Rayla, when we found you I-“ Callum’s breath hitched, and he stared at his lap. “You were breathing so slowly, I thought you were gone- Rayla, that was so scary,” he breathed, “You were so cold, your hands were blue.” He took both her hands in his, squeezing them tight. “I’m just glad you’re okay.” 

“What were you thinking!” Runaan shouted, bursting through the door. “Risking your life in your own backyard? Clearly, you didn’t think this through!”

“Runaan,” Ethari said, coming up behind him and placing a hand on his shoulder.

“We were all worried sick!”

“Runaan-“

“I mean, honestly, Rayla, what was going through your head!”

“Alright, that’s enough,” Ethari chided, pulling Runaan away from where Rayla sat, terrified. “What he means is that we’re glad you’re okay.” He walked over, giving her a hug. “And please never do that again.”

“It wasn’t on my agenda,” Rayla replied, relieved that Ethari wasn’t furious. “When can we go home?”

“The nurse wants to keep you another day, just to make sure everything is stable,” he said, braiding a strand of Rayla’s hair as he sat next to her. “And you do need to keep off that foot for a few days- You must have taken a nasty fall.”

“I thought I had equipped you better for the wilderness,” Runaan said, softening. “But I suppose I still have a lot to teach you.” He strode closer, leaning against the wall. “What do you say we… head to one of the national parks in the spring? Bring a tent, some blankets.”

“Can we find the constellations?” Rayla asked, wide-eyed.

“Every last one,” Runaan promised. 

**Author's Note:**

> thanks so much for reading! i hope you enjoyed lol


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